If You Have Debt You are a Doofus

If you have personal debt you are a doofus. Ouch! That was a bit harsh, let me rephrase that. Debt have you, a doofus you make. Offended? Good. That was my plan. I remember accidentally taking some money out of an ATM on my credit card. I thought I had taken it out of the debit part of the card. I was shocked to see that I had to pay interest on that money. I couldn’t pay that credit card off fast enough and I have been careful not to make that doofus mistake again.

If for some crazy, out of the blue, life-threatening reason, you have to go into debt, then you should do whatever is in your power to pay that thing off ASAP! It used to cause me much irritation that people who are saddled with debt don’t seem to care. I know of some who have debt and also go out for lunches, buy fancy gadgets, take overseas holidays and pay money to get their hair washed. They think that that is okay because they have savings and are earning money. No, no Yamamoto, you don’t have any money! That is actually not your money in that bank account and you shouldn’t do whatever you want with it. You are subject to the lender and all that money is theirs. Every time you buy something you spend the purchase price and then the cost of all the interest on the debt as well. A loud siren should be blasting at you that you are in an emergency situation and you need to pay off this debt otherwise your world will fall apart. It should be that dramatic. It shouldn’t be “budgeting” a part of your salary to pay down some of the debt. It should be throwing all the money you have coming in (apart from rent and basic necessities) at this thing to get it off your back.

I received a phone call from a friend with a debt issue. They said that I was the only person they could turn to (that was rubbish). They said they would pay me back. I wish I had just given them the money. When people have a different mindset to you about a debt, they probably won’t see the debt they owe you as an urgent thing to get rid of. No, it is an interest-free loan, right? Why pay that off when you have no penalties? So, you see photos of them eating out and having overseas trips, but don’t see any repayment coming your way. This can really strain relationships.

I don’t look down at people in debt. It is just that they are ignorant of the way money works. Ignorant isn’t an offensive word (unlike calling someone a doofus like I did above). It just means you don’t know. I would love to step in and help people in debt. Money is such a touchy subject and unless invited to speak into a situation offering advice can cause offence. I don’t like seeing people angry at me. That’s one of the reasons why I started this website, to not see the anger of those who I have offended. But being offended can be good if it gets people to wake up and take action. So, are you a doofus?